Destination
by purdledooturt
Summary: Inspired by the Imagine Dragons song of the same name. The world is huge - but apparently not big enough. Misty runs into Gary in a forest at the middle of the night after Ash has pissed her off, and he offers to keep her company. Egoshipping Initially published on AO3.


**Imagine Dragon(ite)s: Destination  
** **An Egoshipping fanfic  
** **by** purdledooturt

* * *

 **AN:** Inspired by Imagine Dragons' song, 'Destination', this fanfic was originally written for my little blog, . I posted this on AO3 yesterday after I ran into a lot of trouble uploading this here! Must be a Safari thing. This _is_ an egoshipping fanfic – turn back if you hate the pairing or proceed with caution if you are not too warm on them!

I realised after posting it that I said 'twigs' a lot. Here. **TWIGS.**

* * *

 _We stayed up late and draw the lines to every constellation  
We live with all our sorrows tied to age and separation  
These are the days of love and life, these are our expectations  
We stay up late to live tonight, this is our destination_

* * *

Ash pissed her off again.

Misty stomped off into the woods, venturing further in and not even minding the bugs that could be hiding around her. She was that mad. Holding Togepi in her arms, she grumbled to herself as her egg Pokémon giggled at her reaction, remembering the smacking she had given Ash just moments before. The sound calmed her, mildly, and she found herself quieting down and just taking in the normal noise of the forest around her.

Prior to leaving the Cerulean Gym, Misty had never been in forests for so long in her life. The trio spent a lot of time being lost - so Misty spent a lot of time surrounded by trees, camping under stars. Bugs were a constant threat and she was working on toning down her fear of them, with little progress.

Regardless, her feelings towards Ash overtook the great fear.

She wandered deeper in, hearing Ash's Noctowl overhead. He had sent Noctowl out no doubt to guide Misty, as she had no flying Pokémon of her own. Injected with a shot of bravery, she walked further into the forest. She had a guardian overhead. She felt a little safer - but she still wasn't ready to forgive her raven-haired, foot-in-mouth syndrome victim friend.

However, her problem was with Ash, not the Pokémon. Waving at the Noctowl, she thought she saw the bird nod at her before turning around and flying laps overhead. If there was trouble ahead it would probably warn her, and if she were to get in trouble it would probably fly back to alert Ash. Either way, the Pokemon's presence was calming and non-intrusive. Unlike his trainer, Noctowl kept his distance and regarded Misty with a respectful air.

She began to gather firewood, like she had "volunteered" to do. She was trying to juggle Togepi and firewood, but it wasn't like there was much she could find anyway. There was barely anything dry left. She took the biggest twigs she could see but she doubted they would be of much help.

She heard shuffling ahead. She ignored it, thinking it was just a tiny Pokémon trying to get food or running away from her. Noctowl hadn't made any motions to alert her so she doubted it was at all something dangerous. After the rain she didn't expect many things to be out. In the distance, she spotted a viable looking twig. As she jogged over to it, she bent down and reached for it, only for her hand to collide with someone else's.

She let out a yelp. From above her Noctowl let out a little cry and swooped down on the other party. Before she could stop Noctowl, the other person cried in protest.

"Hey, hey!" said the other person, and Misty nearly dropped her twigs and Togepi when she recognised the voice. "I didn't know the twig already had someone else's name on it, stop!"

"Noctowl," called Misty with a pleading undertone to her voice, and the bird halted its assault to hover in front of Misty, continuing to throw the stranger a threatening glare. It stayed between the two trainers, looking ready to claw out body parts should the newcomer step forward. The powerful flaps of Noctowl's wings begun to scare Togepi, who started to whimper. "Noctowl, it's okay - it's just Gary Oak."

The wary bird flew higher, wanting to not upset Togepi any further. It hadn't gone as high as was previously, when it was scouting out for danger, but it was high enough that the loud flapping noise started to quieten. Awkwardly, the two teenagers stood in front of one another. The owl settled on a nearby branch, sharp eyes trained on his trainer's friend and his trainer's rival.

"Well," said Gary as he broke the silence, rubbing the back of his neck. He eyed Noctowl mildly nervously. "Since that twig is apparently Noctowl's favourite, you can have that one."

She pursed her lips and looked at the twig. Putting it on top of the twig stack, she began to try and quieten the Togepi in her arms, who was still distressed at the fright it received from Misty, Gary, and Noctowl.

The spiky haired teenager watched his old best friend's new best friend struggle in her caring for her baby Pokémon, and he reached out his arms to try and offer assistance. "I can hold the twigs for you."

She sent him a glare, thinking he was out to steal the twigs she'd already collected. He already had a small bundle in his arms. He laughed at her concern. "I promise I won't steal your sticks, Red. Or would you rather keep your Togepi uncomfortable?"

At the realisation that being so close to twigs may not be the most comfortable position for Togepi she was quick to hand over the bundle to Gary, who stood in front of her and, true to his word, stood still as she shifted Togepi and tried to shush the baby. As Togepi began to quieten down, she turned back to Gary, focusing her full attention on the sticks in his hands.

He was looking mildly impatient. He must be itching to leave and look for firewood - or fire twigs - too. Remembering her two companions, she looked down at her Togepi. "You can keep that."

The sudden act of generosity surprised Gary, looking at the bundle in his hands. It wasn't much, but he wasn't having _any_ luck looking. He had collected a few sticks but he started looking half an hour ago and didn't have much to show for it. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Misty wasn't really surprised with his response. Any other person would have tried to insist that they didn't need it. That they had more than enough stashed elsewhere. But Gary was quick to accept her offering. And that was perfectly predictable. "Yes, unless you'd rather I take them back and you can try to find the other twigs I couldn't see in the dark?"

Less work for gains - sounds good but not fair. He nodded as he accepted her gift of twigs. "But," he began, remembering that she had companions. "What about Ash and Brock?"

Misty was surprised he knew their names. But then again, he called her 'Red', so maybe he didn't really. She waved his concern off. "Don't worry about them - they deserve to be as cold as their personalities."

He let out a puff of breath and chuckled at her reaction. "They must've done something _really_ bad. Ah, well - their loss, my gain. Thanks!" Now, alone with the other aspiring trainer from Pallet Town, Misty began to think that Gary might not be too bad after all. Raising the twigs to show her, as if it was a prize he had just won and she had never seen, he said, "well, you deserve to be as warm as your carrot-top head."

Holding Togepi tight in one hand, Misty clenched her fist and was about to take a swing for Gary when her conversational partner let out a genuine laugh. "I kid, I kid," he said, wincing as he heard Noctowl squawk in warning from the tree branch. He could just feel the welts that were starting to smart from Noctowl's scratching. "Well, not completely." He turned around and faced north with Misty. "If you run out of fire," he said, pointing out at a faint glow in the distance, "you're always welcome to crash by my bonfire, considering that, you know, you helped keep it going."

Misty wanted to snort. There was no way those twigs will help at all, but he seemed grateful enough. She tilted her head as she tried to focus on the glowing orange dot. "Sure," she said, humouring him. As if she would actually go.

He let out another chuckle. "Well, if you don't believe me," he began to take off his necklace, taking Misty by surprise. Unsure of what to think, Misty stepped back, but he twirled it around his finger. "I'll leave this hanging in a tree and you can use it to come and find me."

"You don't have to."

"I mean it."

"Thanks, Gary," she said, smiling at him. Why was she ever mad at the guy? Sure, he was arrogant most times, and he would constantly put Ash down, but it was usually just directed at Ash. And it wasn't like Ash didn't deserve it.

Right?

"Well," he tilted his body sideways away from her and she took it as a cue that the scene was over. She turned to Gary.

"Enjoy the firewood - I'll see you when ours dies."

"Sure," he said, giving her a thumbs up. "I'll see you in four hours."

* * *

Four hours came, and Gary must've done something to kill their fire remotely because Misty laid awake, freezing when their bonfire died. She had returned to their camp with little to show for her trip, and Ash couldn't berate he as he kept his distance from the redhead, afraid of the repercussions of his previous statements. Brock watched the two of his friends with amusement and exasperation.

"It's okay, Misty," he replied when she declared she couldn't find many dry twigs, "I'm sure this will last us a little while."

"We could always try to cut a tree down!" Ash offered, pulling out a Pokéball from his belt. As he was about to throw the ball upwards, Misty shook her head at him.

"Do you want to wake the bugs?" she asked with a shudder. She didn't really care - she just didn't want to have to help with knocking a tree down and dealing with trying to cut it down. It was too late in the night for that. "Besides, it's not like we're staying here for another week - it'll be a waste to cut down a tree and not take the firewood around with us."

He looked disappointed but nodded. "Fine," he sulked, crawling further into his sleeping bag. He was really excited to try and get his Pokémon to cut the tree down, but he didn't really have a strategy for cutting it into pieces they could use. It wasn't like they could cut a tree down and burn it from the roots and just hope it wouldn't set the rest of the forest alight.

No longer worrying about the campfire dilemma, the trio chatted about their day before settling in for the night. The two boys went to sleep soon after, nestled in their sleeping bags and taking advantage of the warmth, but Misty couldn't sleep. She didn't know why. She thought it must've been due to her fear of bugs, but she'd slept outside before. After traveling for a while, the young gym leader was used to roughing it outdoors. But tonight, sleep was elusive, and she stayed awake, just watching the stars and enjoying the flame as it began to die.

As it flickered down into embers, she cursed herself for not having a fire-type Pokémon who can warm her personally. She looked around her, eyeing Ash's Pokébelt. There was a risk she'd release a different Pokémon, who could potentially alert Ash. Her companions were already sleeping - she might not have been happy with them for that evening but she didn't want to bother them while they were sleeping. All of them were tired from the day's adventure. Even Pikachu was sound asleep, and the electric mouse was normally so perceptive. Rubbing her arms in the cold, she cursed under her breath - while she loved her water Pokémon they can't really help her with her current predicament.

But…

Gary has fire types, right? He must have one.

Remembering his offer, she slid out of her sleeping bag with a shiver. She bundled Togepi up in her sleeping bag, thankful that the little baby Pokémon stayed asleep. Straightening out her extra layers of clothing, she set off to try and find Gary's camp. He did owe her, after all.

* * *

For some reason, Gary was still awake. He wasn't sure why. In the back of his mind, he was waiting, but for what, he wasn't sure. He didn't think his fire would last, but he collected even wet kindling. Savouring Arcanine's warmth, he leaned against his Pokémon and placed the wet twigs near the fire, hoping they would warm enough to dry.

There was shuffling in the woods. He looked up, and Arcanine began to growl, sending out rumbles through Gary's body. Twisting to place his hands on his Pokemon's head, he shushed the large dog and tried to make out the source of the noise. After a while, he smirked to himself, spotting orange through the dark.

It was Misty.

"I swear, I didn't walk very far before," she was muttering to herself when she broke through and landed in the clearing Gary was resting in with his Pokémon. "Hi, I hope the offer still stands."

Gesturing to the bonfire, he nodded. "Of course - Gary Oak doesn't break his promises. Or take back his offers. Where's Togepi?"

"I left him with Ash," she said, before pouting. "Maybe I should've brought him with but I wasn't sure if you had a fire going at all. That, and I got scared I wouldn't be able to find you so I thought it would've been better if I went alone."

He nodded as he accepted the information she was giving him. He shrugged. "Well, so long as he's comfortable it should be okay." Shuffling to the side, he said, "did you want to sit with Arcanine?"

The large canine Pokémon turned his head to his trainer, head tilting to the side as he tried to understand what his trainer meant. He turned to Misty and tilted his head to the other side, trying to figure out who the mysterious female newcomer was, and Misty's face crumpled into a lovestruck expression as she took in Arcanine.

She walked over to him, before stopping right in front of him. Gary watched cautiously as the ginger female stretched her arm out, offering the back of her palm to the apprehensive Pokémon to sniff. At least she knew to ask for permission before touching Arcanine. The canine pushed his neck forward and took a sniff, before lowering his head and offering his ears for scratches.

The sneaky runt. He didn't even check Misty. The idea of getting rubs from strangers didn't scare Arcanine, and before long Misty sat by him, petting him and brushing back his fur with her fingers. Gary felt betrayed, shooting his Pokémon a light glare. She buried her hands in his fire with a pleased sigh.

"You take very good care of your Arcanine," she declared after a while, when Gary shuffled to make himself comfortable again, accepting that she wasn't going to be snuggling up next to him. He leaned back on Arcanine's side as the Pokémon slumped on the ground, rumbling pleasantly at Misty's attention. His eyes were on the fire. "He's gorgeous."

"Thank you," he said, before he admitted, "He's very spoilt." He bent forward to throw a few twigs into the fire, realising he had to keep it up for two people now, as opposed to just for himself.

"I can tell," she said, pausing in her petting only to be nudged by a pushy Arcanine, who started whimpering over the decreased attention. "Yes, yes," she said, cooing at him like she would with her Togepi, "you're lucky you're adorable."

"Adorable?" Gary asked, feigning a scandalised tone as he began to grow sleepy. Misty's company was barely making waves - she was quiet, and just petting Arcanine in peace but her presence had a calming effect on him. "Not even scary? Or intimidating? Come on," he joked, leaning on his side, now watching Misty. Her cheeks warmed as she took his appearance in, but he didn't notice it. "I didn't train this bad boy to be 'adorable'."

"No," she shot back jokingly, her voice softening as she realised Gary's eyes were starting to droop. "This good boy is just a big baby."

He laughed. "Yeah, he is, isn't he?" he conceded, patting Arcanine. The fire-type rumbled in happiness. He was just called a good boy - and he was getting attention from two people! It was a great night for the fire Pokémon. "I think I've spoilt him too much."

"You've done well in raising him."

"Thanks, Misty."

He was warm. Arcanine, that is - not Gary. But Misty smiled at him kindly, feeling less cold now that she was near a fire again. And with her hands in warm fur, she was pretty content. "Go to sleep, Gary."

"Will do," he said, still facing her. She liked that about Gary - he didn't want to mince words saying dumb things. His eyes began to flutter close. "Feel free to do whatever you want," he said, now looking peaceful. "If you want there's more kindling at my feet. But you're always welcome to snuggle." She grumbled at him, and he snickered. "Kidding. But I'm sure Arcanine wouldn't have any objections."

Gary Oak fell asleep not long after, his breathing evening out into long and steady breaths. She smiled at him. His Pokémon seemed to have fallen asleep as well, and she was the only one left awake. She wanted to sleep - to take him up on his offer and position herself near Arcanine, but she was worried she'd sleep for too long and her friends would wake up to not find her. She didn't want them to send out a search party only to find her sleeping with Gary. Innocuously.

Uncrossing her legs, she stretched them out, reaching for the fire. It was still going - there was no need to add more kindling. It was warm, and it was fantastic to not feel like a block of ice was starting to work on freezing her, but she cursed herself for not bringing her sleeping bag with her.

Her eyes began to try and flutter close. Pursing her lips, she looked at Gary. There was a bit of room - she could sleep by Arcanine's neck and not have to hit Gary or touch him by accident. Positioning herself, she rested her head on the fire dog's neck and thought to herself as sleep claimed her.

 _A little nap wouldn't hurt anybody._

* * *

She woke to the sound of Gary's voice. He was nudging her and calling her name. Softly, then firmly, the volume growing as he realised she was starting to stir. He gave her a lopsided smirk, but it didn't have much of an edge to it. There was light starting to creep overhead - it was no longer night.

Misty realised her mistake, and her eyes widened as she sat up. She had been curled in on herself, as Arcanine had long since stood to stretch, leaving Misty on the ground. But the bundle of wood at her feet was still warm and slightly smokey - it wasn't too long ago that Gary extinguished it.

"Your snoring can wake the dead."

Her head whipped to look at Gary, who laughed at her reaction. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I do not snore." She was insistent, but she was mildly worried. What if she _did_ snore?

 _Wait - who cares? Why am I so worried? It's just Gary._

"Arcanine woke up and got the fire going again. Gave it a bit of an ember," he explained, dropping the joke, when he noticed her attention had drifted to where their little bonfire was the night before. "He woke me up when he tried to snuggle back under you. We didn't want to move you - you looked comfortable enough so we just stayed up."

She looked at the canine, who looked back at her happily. As a little light began to stream in, it was as if the dog noticed her hair and began to sniff at it. "That's not a Growlithe," she joked, as she heard sniffing and puffing. He licked her cheek in response. The other trainer smiled at the sight.

"You should go," Gary said, taking Misty's attention, offering her his hand to help her stand, "before they start looking for you."

She nodded, wiping her face to find traces of drool. Thankfully, there was none. She sighed thankfully. For the little amount of sleep she got, she felt well rested, and she told her companion so.

"It's Arcanine," he said, as if it was an explanation. "I'm pretty sure he has that effect on people."

He led her back to the way she appeared from the night before. "Think you can find your way back before the Caterpies get to you?" he asked, smirking at her shuddering. "Arcanine and I are going to head off, but we can sneak you back to Ashy-boy if you're scared of ickle little bugs."

She glared at him. "I'll be fine," she said, before turning to Arcanine and giving him one final rub. "Thanks, Arcanine."

He barked in happiness in reply. Gary shushed him, but his tail was wagging in excitement. "We're not going with her."

"I'll see you around," she said, nodding at Gary. "Thanks again, Gary."

"No problem, Red," he said, giving her a mock salute and adjusting his rucksack. "Smell ya later."

Rolling her eyes at the parting greeting, she waved goodbye. The two set out, with Arcanine turning to look at her every once in a while and Gary, ruffling his fur whenever he did so. A breeze blew past her, and she found herself missing the big heater.

Turning around, she thought of the excuse she would use to explain her absence. Just stepped away for exercise. That'll do. That or she went to the toilet, but which excuse she would need to whip out depended on whether or not the boys were awake and how long they've been up for.

Misty was distracted, but something caught her eye. At the realisation, she jumped up to try and retrieve Gary's necklace, which he had left behind. Examining the little yin and yang, she quickly shoved the necklace in her pocket.

They now had a reason to hurry on to the next city.


End file.
